Care & Connection:
A Study of Women's Friendships
BRIEF
This research project explores the unique and multifaceted nature of friendships between women. By examining the dynamics of care and connection, the study aims to uncover the underlying mechanisms that make female friendships meaningful.
TIMELINE
11 weeks
ROLES
Research
Visual Design
Illustrations
TEAM
Amy Cai
Katrina Ngor
PREVIEW
What's so special about female friendships?
This research project resulted in a design workbook documenting the research process and answers "how do women express and navigate the complexities of modern friendships to maintain genuine connections?"
CHALLENGE
Female friendships exist on the basis of care.
Without this foundation, female friendships wouldn’t exist. As women journey through life together, experiencing milestones like starting their careers, marriage, and parenthood, the nature of care within these friendships evolves to reflect the changing needs and challenges of each new stage of life.
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Female friendships are built on mutual reciprocity and empathy, setting high standards for maintaining care. The three affinities of female friendship — support, symmetry, & secrecy — forge strong bonds, but also make them inherently fragile.
Reciprocity & Empathy
Friends will readily step in during challenges with empathy to offer honest guidance and resolve conflicts with understanding, reinforcing connections based on mutual care.
Support, Symmetry, & Secrecy
Close friendships demand commitment and deep understanding of a friend's needs, attitudes, and behaviors. Female friendships, being more fragile, often face higher interpersonal conflict—something that requires constant effort.
Fragile Relationships
Women often engage in deeper conversations, sharing personal matters or conflicts. This openness fosters strong bonds but can also bring emotional strain. When support, balance, or privacy falters, tensions can arise, sometimes leading to the dissolution of the friendship.
Sources
[1] Travers, Mark. “A Unique Reason Why Female Friendships Are Stronger—by a Psychologist.” Forbes, 19 Aug. 2024
[2] JEN. “On Female Friendships as an Adult: Developing, Nurturing and Maintaining Relationships.” Peanut Butter Runner, 5 June 2018
[3] Tannen, Deborah. “Women friends like to handle conflicts by talking them out. But does it work?” The Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2017
RESEARCH QUESTION
How do women express and navigate the complexities of modern friendships* to maintain genuine connections?
Modern Friendships: Friendships shaped by diverse forms of technology, along with the unique challenges they bring.
PARTICIPANTS
Who did we chat with?
We talked to 10 women in their 20s–30s, who have already started their early career and have established their inner circle of friends.
Amari, 25
Data Analyst
Ana, 25
Music Teacher
Aubrey, 25
Works for Non-Profit Organization
Chi, 23
Artist / Small Business Owner
Dawn, 21
Receptionist / Partnerships Intern
Emi, 23
Lenscrafters Employee / Marching Band Member
Katy, 23
Realty Specialist
Kristy, 25
Business Analyst / Tutor / Ice Cream Scooper
Lynn, 27
Sales Development Representative
Selene, 23
Artist in practice, Sushi Restaurant Server
RESEARCH METHODS
What tools did we use to conduct our exploration?
Circle of Trust
A circle made up of several concentric rings. The innermost circle represents the participant themselves, at the center. We used this method as an introductory element to the session to get participants into the headspace of thinking of their interpersonal relationships.
Interview Questions
We asked four sets of questions to understand their friendships to understand the highs, the lows, and everything-in-between. All the deep complexities and nuances.
Care Tier List
A ranking system for participants to place what types of care they value most to least. This was intended to provide insights on what matters most to our participants and how care manifests in their friendships.
Cultural Probe: The Care Package
Contains activities to prompt participants to think about their friendships for 3–5 days. The Goal: Designed to be separated from the interview session to allow participants to reflect in a more natural, every day environment, including real-time recording.
Care Card
Post Cards
Tech Interaction Log
INSIGHTS & FINDINGS
Strong foundations of friendship establish a safe space, fostering shared experiences and open communication for women.
From interview…
Intention & Effort
Physical distance and time apart requires friends to put more intention and effort when connecting with each other. The endeavor to overcome challenges involved creates resilience in friendship.
Direct Communication
As women mature in both life and friendship, they become more confrontational and prefer direct communication outside of the technological space in order to resolve conflicts.
Low-Maintenance
The unique closeness of female friendships allows them to thrive on low-maintenance effort, with the convenience of digital communication allowing quick exchanges of casual care.
Best Friends First
In the Circle of Trust activity, 100% of participants place their best friend(s) in their inner circle.
Loyalty, Trust, & Validation
In the Care Tier List activity, 100% of participants agree that loyalty and trust, validation, and active listening are essential building blocks of their friendship.
IDEATION
Sketches Collection
Using our design principles, we created a collection of realistic and speculative sketches that aligned with our insights.
DOWNSELECTION
From Texting to Magical Hats
Using our design principles, we created a collection of realistic and speculative sketches that aligned with our insights.
Tone Texting
A system to indicate the tone of each of their texts using colors/patterns.
Mood Calendar
A simple tracking system where female friends can see how they are feeling each day.
Voodoo Doll Keychains
A mini version of your friend that keeps them with you wherever you go! "Tickle" it to record quick voice memos.
Magical Memory Book
An anonymous writer collects your treasured memories and stories to celebrate friendship through life’s ever-changing chapters.
The Howler
A magical letter that loudly delivers its message, expressing strong emotions. If left unopened for a time, it explodes.
Thinking Caps
A non-verbal communication tool that allows friends to share their thoughts and emotions directly by transmitting ideas through the Thinking Cap. There are no filters.
PARTICIPATORY FEEDBACK
What did our participants think?
We checked back in with 2 of our participants to gather some feedback about our ideas. We asked them about what they liked or disliked about our ideas, and if they understood the concepts as they were intended to be.
Emotional Expression and Understanding Are Highly Valued
Participants valued tools like the Thinking Cap and Map Calendar, which simplify emotional communication. They appreciated low-effort ways to share feelings, especially when verbal expression is challenging.
Physical and Visual Personalization Enhances Connection
Both the Voodoo Doll and Tone Texting ideas are playful and have personal touches. Customized charms, themes, or tones make interactions feel unique. Physical reminders like the doll strengthen bonds, especially for long-distance friends.
Balancing Transparency & Control is Key
The Thinking Cap and Mood Calendar shows a tension between wanting to express emotions and fearing misinterpretation. They valued features that allow for selective sharing, customization, and clear boundaries in how emotions or thoughts are presented.
FINAL SELECTION
Thinking Cap
A non-verbal communication tool that lets friends share unfiltered thoughts and emotions, fostering honesty and mutual understanding. By bypassing verbal barriers, it strengthens connections and supports shared aspirations in female friendships.
Participant Response
Participants like how this idea offers an efficient and simple way to directly communicate their thoughts with their friends, and vice versa. This aligns with our found insight that female friends value direct communication.
Voodoo Doll Keychain
A playful miniature version of your friend that stays with you wherever you go! A quick "tickle" lets you record spontaneous voice memos, keeping connections alive and vibrant even in the busiest moments.
Participant Response
Participants like how this idea offers a real-time opportunity to share their daily life experiences as they happen. They also like how the keychain acts as a sentimental reminder of their friend, especially if they don’t see each other often.
FINAL DESIGN
Care & Connection:
The Real Scoop on
Women's Friendships
A design workbook documenting this design research exploration on female friendships and care.
NEXT STEPS
Designing Careful Considerations
Acknowledgements
This project plays with female gender stereotypes (e.g. hot pink, gossipping) in a playful and possibly ironic way. However, we also want to critically reflect on who this approach might exclude, whether through its aesthetics, assumptions, or cultural associations, and consider how to design space for broader interpretations of female friendships and care.
Translating Speculation
Based on the conversations we had with our participants, we would like to begin translating our speculative ideas into prototypes or interactive experiences to allow engagement to move beyond the conceptual.